ROTEX (1993)

Robot Technology Experiment on Spacelab D2-Mission

ROTEX was kind of a starting shot for Germany’s participation in space automation and robotics. It contained as much sensor-based on-board autonomy as possible, but on the other side it presumed that for many years cooperation between man and machine, based on powerful telerobotic structures, will be the foundation of high-performance space robot systems, operable especially from ground. Thus ROTEX tried to prepare a lot of operational modes, such as telemanipulation on-board/on-ground as well as tele-sensor-programming from ground, not including the perfectly intelligent robot that would not need any human supervisor. The experiment also prepared different applications also aiming at assembly and external servicing. It flew with Spacelab-Mission D2 in 1993 and performed several prototype tasks, e.g. assembling a truss structure and catching a free-floating object, in different operational modes, e.g. off-line programmed, but also on-line teleoperated from ground by man and machine intelligence.

ROTEX

The main features of the experiment were as follows:

Ground control segment

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Graphical simulation

A small, six-axis robot was mounted inside a space-lab rack.

Its gripper, probably the most complex multisensory gripper that has been built so far, was provided with a number of sensors:

The most considered experiment was the autonomous catching of a free-floating object. It was performed to show the capabilities of local feedback loops to remotely control a space robot under communication constraints. This experiment was the first precursor mission w.r.t. to our goal of capturing a tumbling satellite in free space for on orbit servicing.